Chapter 5

　　I got up from my seat and walked through the crowd, my long black dress sweeping the ground, and my high heels clicking with every step I took.

　　"A black dress?" Sylvania said, shocked by my arrival. The color of my dress was the first thing everyone noticed because the maiden was supposed to be in white. I did this because I wanted Sylvania to know that her end had come.

　　I picked up the metal cup with both of my palms and walked with it to the where my stepmother, The priestess and King Japhet stood.

　　"Present the queen with the drink," The priestess said, and I moved the cup toward Sylvania. My stepmother moved her hand toward the goblet and wrapped her palms around it. I could see that that confident look in her eyes had started to wither, and her hands her begun to shake.

　　The rule was that the queen was not allowed to take the cup from the maiden, but hold it with her and take only a sip-that was all I needed.

　　Sylvania stared at the drink hesitantly.

　　"What are you waiting for? Take a sip," the priestess urged. "If you do not take it now you will be struck dead," she warned.

　　"But, isn't this all a little strange? The maiden's dress isn't supposed to be black. How can you tell she is not a fake?" Sylvania argued.

　　"I am the priestess of the goddess, and I see with blessed eyes. She is the maiden the goddess has sent, and you cannot refuse the offer of the elixir from her," The priestess assured.

　　"Look at it this way; this just means that your wedding is valid before the goddess, and the black dress is possibly because the bride and groom are from different kingdoms," She continued.

　　"Possibly?" Sylvania asked with worry in her voice, then turned back to me. She stared at me for a moment then turned back to the drink. She couldn't refuse the drink now because if she tried to run she would be struck dead instantly. My plan had fallen in place perfectly.

　　I was confused by the priestess's words, though. I hadn't had any previous discussion with her, yet she lied to everyone that I was really the sent maiden, and that the wedding was actually valid, but this didn't matter to me too much because it worked well in my favor.

　　After a moment of hesitation, Sylvania leaned in and took a sip.

　　Sylvania took a sip from the drink and swallowed. I could see her throat move and could hear her gulp as she ingested the fake elixir, I had just fed her. I so much wanted to smile at that very moment, but my plan wasn't complete yet, not until king Japhet had taking his own sip.

　　The poison I laced the drink with was one that acted slowly, this was because I didn't want Sylvania to drop dead on the spot, I wanted to make sure both of them had from the goblet first. Sylvania stepped away from me and I slowly moved the goblet toward the priestess again.

　　I had practiced over and over how the sent maiden acted and how she presented the elixir to the celebrants, so, my acting was perfect. Could that have been what fooled the priestess? Was I so good that even she was fooled?

　　"Present the Elixir of truth to the groom." The priestess ordered, and I quickly moved my arms in kings Japhet's direction. I could see in his eyes that he wasn't focussed, he was also nervous. He turned to Sylvania and turned to me repeatedly, checking if anything would happen to Sylvania before he accepted the drink.

　　Sylvania's confident smile had grown onto her face again to assure king Japhet that all was well. I was sure she had already begun to think that I was the maid she hired, only dressed in a different uniform than what she ordered.

　　King Japhet on the other hand, wasn't so confident. The nervous look in his eyes only grew more and more evident with each passing second. He stared at the drink quietly and the priestess finally spoke.

　　"Do not even think about refusing the drink, you will be struck dead by the moon goddess."

　　King Japhet turned to the priestess and then turned back to me. his brows furrowed and his facial expression went from a nervous one to an angry one. He thought about everything he had worked for, all the things he had done to get to this point, and decided that he couldn't let one stupid drink ruin everything for him─he couldn't let an ordinary prostitute like Sylvania ruin his life.

　　He moved his right hand and my eyes widened as I saw him reach for the sword that hung by the left side of his waist. He pulled the sword out of its sheath and swung it vertically upwards at my face. I stepped back to avoid the blade, and sliced my mask in two equal halves. All the guests gasped and rose from their seats. My black hair fell over my face, and the two pieces of my mask fell to the ground along with the goblet.

　　Sylvania's eyes widened in shock as she saw my face. The fear she had in her eyes before she drank the Elixir returned, and she stepped back, palming her mouth and her stomach. King Japhet gritted his teeth in anger and tried to attack me, but the Andreian Knights who were present at the party, drew their swords on him.

　　"Take one more step toward the princess and we will remove your head. Remember that your armies are not here to defend you, and the knights you brought with you today are but a fraction of the Andreian soldiers present," One of the Andreian Knights spoke, stepping forward.

　　King Japhet withdrew his sword from my face upon hearing this, and I turned to my stepmother, smiling.

　　"You foolish old prostitute, you really thought you could fool everyone by hiring a fake goddess sent to present the elixir to you? For your information, the maid you hired is dead, I killed her, and the elixir you just drank is actually flavoured water, laced with the deadliest substance in Andreia; devils drool," I said as my lips curled into a sinister grin. Although my plan wasn't complete, this was more than satisfying.

　　"What?!" Sylvania exclaimed in shock. She turned to the Priestess and yelled angrily, "you said she was the goddess sent! Why did you lie to me? Are you two working together? I should have both of you imprisoned."

　　"Lie? I am the priestess of the Moon goddess; I only say that which I am ordered to. This girl standing before you is the goddess sent, and I assure you I have had no previous discussion with her. When I arrived, I warned you that today wouldn't be a happy one for you. This is how the goddess has chosen to punish you for your crimes and so shall it be." The priestess replied with a calm but stern tone, making sure not to raise her voice the same way Sylvania did.

　　At this point even I was confused by the whole thing. What was the priestess even talking about? How could I have been the goddess sent? I thought the goddess sent was a being sent from the heavens.